Inventor of the World Wide Web is auctioning its source code as an NFT

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, credited as the inventor of the World Wide Web, is selling the source code for his invention as an NFT at a Sotheby's auction.

The NFT, or non-fungible token, is a type of cryptocurrency that resides on a smart contract platform, typically Ethereum. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum's interchangeable units, each NFT is unique, and lately they've found a market that's somewhere between digital collectible cards and artwork, often selling for outrageous amounts. (For more on NFTs, read our explainer here).

In particular, the NFT that Berners-Lee will be selling consists of four parts according to Sotheby's: "original time-stamped files containing the source code written by Sir Tim; an animated visualization of the code; a letter written by Sir Tim reflecting on the code and the process of creating it; as well as a digital 'poster' of the full code created by Sir Tim from the original files using Python including a graphic of his physical signature."

A letter by Tim Berners-Lee reflecting on the WWW's source code. Credit: courtesy sotheby's

“Three decades ago, I created something which, with the subsequent help of a huge number of collaborators across the world, has been a powerful tool for humanity. (...) NFTs, be they artworks or a digital artefact like this, are the latest playful creations in this realm, and the most appropriate means of ownership that exists. They are the ideal way to package the origins behind the web,” Berners-Lee said in a statement.

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SEE ALSO: This beginner-friendly guide will teach you all about NFTs

The sale, which opens on June 23, will start at $1,000, but given that high-profile NFTs are often sold for millions, Berners-Lee's WWW NFT could easily reach a much higher price.

According to Sotheby's, the proceeds for the sale will benefit initiatives that Berners Lee and his wife, Lady Rosemary Leith Berners-Lee, support.

Berners-Lee never patented his inventions of the world wide web and the first browser, releasing the source code for free instead. Together with his wife Rosemary Leith, Berners-Lee sits on the board of the World Wide Web Consortium, which they co-founded in 2009 to advance the open web as a public good and a basic right. Berners-Lee is also CTO of software company Inrupt.

In 2019, Berners-Lee published an open letter, outlining some of the issues that "plague" today's web, including online crime, ad-based revenue models that reward the spread of misinformation, and bad design which harms the quality of online discourse. The launch of the NFT is his first public venture into cryptocurrencies, but according to the Financial Times, he sees similarities between his original vision for the web, and the decentralized nature of Ethereum, which is where most NFTs reside.

Disclosure: The author of this text owns, or has recently owned, a number of cryptocurrencies, including BTC and ETH.